


Mike Stamford Is Gay

by torchwoodgeek



Series: TeaCake Head cannon battle [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 15:27:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8922481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torchwoodgeek/pseuds/torchwoodgeek
Summary: (same)





	

Previously on Head Cannon Battle, I spoke of Dr. Mike Stamford and promised to go into detail regarding my thoughts about precisely how he knows Sherlock Holmes.  
What we know about MS on BBC Sherlock:  
-professor at Barts  
-knows JW from uni as an former schoolmate  
-lost touch with JW some time after that  
-heard through other mutual acquaintances that JW became squaddie & went off to war  
-didn't know JW was returned from war until they chance to meet in courtyard  
-knows SH from Barts pathology laboratory  
-knows SH well enough to contact SH via blog "the Science of Deduction"  
-knows SH well enough to know the chemist is in need of a flatmate  
-comfortable enough with SH to casually discuss private life a wee bit.  
Ok! I want to talk abt the original cannon bc as we know Mark & Steven r massive fanboys who respect Sir ACD's original work.  
A Study in Scarlet was the first Holmes story Sir ACD wrote. If you've not read it, it is quite short and very good. I highly recommend!

In my opinion, SiS is the best source of information on what JW initially thinks of SH. As well it gives us the origin story of how the great duo met. Which we all know would never have been possible without a thoughtful introduction by Mike Stamford.  
From SiS, We can quickly make a few obvious conclusions about Mike Stamford from the first story.

As a person he's cheerful, honest, helpful, and a slight worrier- only slightly. Decent man! I like him.

In my opinion, MS is important because he is the catalyst that starts the great duo of Watson and Holmes. Every story needs a beginning. The main characters need to meet somehow right? And they meet in a normal way that is actually quite common in real life. A mutual acquaintance introduces two people. It is a common plot devise in fiction because it is relatable in real life. Here is a fine example of how the two main characters meet thru introduction by a mutual friend who knows both men and decides they might like being BFFs.  
In BBC adaptation, we know from Dr. MoH's personal blog that SH makes rare and mysterious appearances at Barts lab. So we know from how she talks about SH, she's only just met him (I think she might be perhaps new to Barts network of hospitals herself.)

At start of BBC programme, Dr. MoH doesn't know SH well at all (obviously bc she's trying to pull a gay man! Look on SH blog: she tried a flirty thing towards him with pretending he'd left his tie at hospital. This tells us she doesn't even know SH does NOT wear ties until he bluntly tells her in a comment on his blog.  
Cmon Molls! Let's don't be so pathetic ok? You are a brilliant head of pathology at a world class mortuary, Dr. Hooper! You are a clever and strong woman. And here is this weird man somehow gaining illegal access to the laboratory- as well, he's quite rude to you at every turn, my darling!

So, therefore based on the fact she doesn't know SH well, I really don't think Dr. MoH could be the one who is helping SH sneak access to mortuary at beginning of S1. Yet SH and Dr. MS are friendly and respectful so I'd image MS could be some how assisting SH in gaining access to the Barts lab prior to Dr. MoH becoming SH helpful friend later. I have no evidence for this, OK. I simply like the idea that MS helps SH get access to Barts lab from time to time. Like, how else does MS know exactly where SH will be when MoH's blog has told us how randomly SH enters lab? And Original SiS has MS telling JW how random SH's appearances are in the pathology lab. Ok and what about how SH & MS converse on The Science of Deduction blog? They make reference on the blog to conversations they had at some point in their real lives. 

To me, all this information means that SH and MS are friendly enough to talk abt their lives a bit. I mean, like, if these men are professional enough as Sir ACD cannon described, I'm certain they are friendly enough to discuss their lives a bit ok.

I'm not suggesting they are mates. I'm not thinking they are dear sweet best friends forever. But I do think MS and SH respect one another enough as colleagues to the point that maybe they felt comfortable to chat abt life together. 

Im not suggesting they have sleep overs and braid hair during Alfred Hitchcock film marathons. I'm not saying they gush about cute boys and sip red wine. I'm not saying they eat pints of ice cream and have a therapeutic cry on the anniversary of the death of poor Redbeard.  
So from Sir ACD's SiS, we see that MS understands SH's nature as a man and accepts him. He speaks about SH's habits and skills. He does caution that JW might not like the strange chemist. However, Mike still arranges to make introductions between JW and SH. To me, MS is so fricking wonderful! Like if not for him, we would NEVER have the great pair JW and SH. We owe him everything! Handsome doctor professor with his lovely spectacles and sweet cherubic smile! I love you Mike! Let's have dinner? J/K

Mike is honest with JW about the sort of guy SH is. In SiPink, the professor says "Yeah, he's always like that." after John gives a questioning look. Mike knows and he really does not seem bothered by SH's personality. He almost seems amused. 

We see how much SH respects MS when we travelled into SH drug hallucination in TAB  
Well in SH's drug hallucinations, MS is depicted as cheerful, non-judgemental, helpful, good natured and quite kind. A decent respectful fellow. Exactly as MS appears in Sherlock's RL at Barts. MS is even cheerful, non-judgemental, helpful, good natured and quite kind towards his old grumpy friend JW when they happen upon one another in the courtyard. I like MS so much! Can't say it enough! Really nice man. What's more, SH respects and likes MS too! Of all the people who appear in SH's drug hallucination nightmare, ONLY Mike Stamford is the exact same personality as he is in SH's actual life.  
Every other character in SH's hallucination is grumpier or more pushy within SH's mind. Even dear Hudders is more irritable. But not Mike! He's actually slightly sunnier in Sherlock's hallucination. To me this suggests that SH likes and trusts MS. Think about it- when SH is having his hallucination nightmare, everyone else keeps grousing and picking and fighting and being a bit of an arse and seems to be upset with SH. Everyone in his nightmare is turning against him or showing annoyance towards him. But not Mike! 

He certainly trust the professor enough to accept Mike's recommendations of a perfect stranger to be his flatmate!

Sherlock must know at least as much about Mike as the professor knows about him to trust the professor. Ok, SH probably knows more abt Mike bc well, he's SH innit he?

My head cannon: Dr. MS is a queer man. He know SH is queer man as well. And he also knows JW is queer man. JW knows MS is queer as well. I have no proof of this, but I can support my head cannon with a bit of logical info inferred from the show.  
BBC MS does wear a rainbow stripe neck tie and fashionable glasses!  
IRL, I have noticed that non-queer men rarely associate with queer men in a friendly way.

-And queer men, in my experience, seem able to know that other men are queer. In the queer communities, we call this "gaydar." In BBC fictional universe there is a story on JW's blog where we see that homophobia and negativity toward lesbian women exists within their fictional BBC universe just as it exists IRL.

-We know JW has a queer sibling called Harry.

-We know SH has queer sibling as well. So obviously both main characters are quite familiar with what queer means.

-MS knew JW in uni.

-MS knows SH from Barts.

-For some reason, MS accepts that JW might be comfortable sharing a flat with SH. wonder why?!?!?

-In SiP, we know SH is openly queer. As well we know from the same scene at Angelo's that JW accepts that "PEOPLE" can have boyfriends OR girlfriends. It is my opinion that JW knows and accepts his own queerness. He corrects people for making incorrect assumptions about his valid sexual orientation. He is NOT gay. But there are many other self ID's a man can have that encompass being a queer man.

MS knows JW well enough to know JW is would not behave homophobicly toward a queer man. The professor KNOWS this.

As I've said, I have zero evidence to support my head cannon here ok. Mike Stamford has never openly declared himself queer. Actually, no one has openly declared Harry as queer either, yet Harry was married to a woman. The only character to announce her sexuality in the entire program is Irene Adler (who only did so as part of an elaborate scheme to get a favour from JW. Put a drawing pin there please!)

I may not have any open declarations of queerness from Mike's own lips. But I have real life experience to know that most men who are not queer are a bit uncomfortable to share a flat with a queer person. And vice versa. Not too many people would like to live everyday in a small space with a person that might not accept them or might make them feel uncomfortable. What would you do? Hide in ur bedroom the whole time? That would be a rubbish flatshare! Obviously people seek flatmates with whom they are compatible. It is not homophobia, only comfort. Most women I meet would not be keen to share a flat with a man. Most opera singers might not want a death metal enthusiast as a flatmate. And studious post graduates might not like sharing with partiers ok. That is comfort in ur living space, not necessarily bigotry. 

My head cannon is that MS is a queer man who recognises SH as queer. And he already knows JW is a queer man who would not behave poorly towards another queer man. *Because* Mike Stamford is queer.

Or I could be wrong and his rainbow necktie is showing his Jamaican pride.


End file.
